Starrbooty The Movie Screening
@ Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
6500 N Clark St 2nd Fl, Chicago, IL 60626
Opening Wednesday, June 17th, from 6PM - 8PM
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, attend a FREE 18+ secret screening of Starrbooty The Movie at the Gerber/Hart Raffety/Tran Community Room Wednesday June 17th from 6-8 pm.
Seating is limited so RSVP on eventbrite here!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/starrbooty-screening-at-gerberhart-tickets-1991496585898
Who is Starrbooty? She’s a model, a fierce secret agent and the alter ego of superstar RuPaul. Originating in the early 1980s as a series of lofi-no budget mini-films sold on VHS tapes outside of clubs in Atlanta, the character of Starrbooty would eventually merit RuPaul’s first full-length film, Starrbooty The Movie, premiering at film festivals like Chicago’s own historic LGBTQ+ Reeling Festival in 2007. (You can even read an interview with RuPaul about the film via ChicagoPride here). The film would go straight to DVD and two short years later RuPaul’s Drag Race would premiere. Obviously the cultural domination of ‘Drag Race’ cannot be understated. As the show gained popularity, Starrbooty was all but disowned by RuPaul and World of Wonder productions, as the film has become “lost media” with no streaming options and the DVD out of print (oddly enough, however, the website and domain pertaining to the film remain active to this day https://starrbooty.com). This is surely due to the audacious male nudity and adult film stars that make up most of the film.
Starrbooty lives on however. Many of the songs RuPaul wrote for the film’s soundtrack have been interpolated into other standouts in the RuPaul discography, such as “Cattitude” by Miley Cyrus and “Peanut Butter” featuring Big Freeida. And now almost 20 years since the film premiered, RuPaul is back with a new film- a theatrical wide release produced by World of Wonder. On the press tour for Stop! That! Train! , RuPaul playfully alludes to the fact that this isn’t the first motion picture she stars in, although Starbooty The Movie is never mentioned by name.
Join Gerber Hart for a free screening of this lost film – a DVD copy that is a permanent part of the library catalog. The film screening is free, but donations are welcome to support Gerber/Hart’s public and accessible queer programming!
18+ only due to the adult content of the film.
Accessibility: Gerber/Hart is located on the second floor of 6500 N Clark Street. There is a staircase just inside the entrance (by the Walgreens) and an elevator at the end of the hallway (past the Howard Brown front desk).
Official Website
More events on this date
Tags: Gerber Hart Library and Archives, RuPaul, Starrbooty, Starrbooty The Movie Screening
« previous event